“These are the last ones,” said one of their guides.

The person he addressed turned their way, and Nar saw that it was the Admin himself.

“Good, thank you. You guys report to the Doors,” he said.

“Yes, Admin.”

“As for you, Climbers, this is where you’ll rest. You have used the facilities and will not be leaving this place unless it is to leave my cubeplant. Go ahead, and join your peers.”

Kur and Nar waded into the gathering of Climbers.

Contrary to his expectations, the place was a frenzy of activity.

“A lot of Climbers died. Parties need to cover their losses,” Kur explained. “Some parties were even wiped out, and only one or two people survived. They’ll need to join a new party, if they are to have any hope of Climbing. It’s also just a good, and perhaps the only, opportunity to leave a party you don’t agree with.”

They weaved their separate ways through a loud group of people, all seemingly clamoring to be allowed into a particularly popular party.

“It started at the blasters, while people were still covered in blood,” Kur continued, as they joined back together. “I don’t know where they’re getting the energy for it. Probably despair.”

Probably, Nar agreed.

Kur looked like he was going to say more, but chose not to.

“Are we taking anyone in?” Nar asked instead.

“I thought about it, but we’re all alive. And we already have enough trust issues. I told the others to just say we’re full, and leave it at that. I don’t want to deal with any of these people.”

Nar considered the party leader. His tone was venomous, hateful even. What had he seen in those frontlines, to spark such a vicious response from him? It was out of character for Kur.

It must have been bad… Nar mused.

It took them a good while to find their party in the loud chaos, but eventually, Nar caught Mul’s voice through the hubbub, and was able to guide them there.

“You’re here!” Gad said.

She got up and walked to them. For a moment, it looked as though she was about to hug Nar, but she pulled out of it at the last second.

“Are you alright?” she asked him instead.

She had asked him that a lot. Even after they’d entered the cubeplant. And even while they queued for the blaster. She had to be wrecked too. She had held the center of that line, and left to continue fighting, and had carried and cleaned Viy all by herself. And yet, she still cared for him.

Nar gave her the most genuine smile he’d managed in weeks.

“I’m okay, Gad. Don’t worry.”

“Of course I worry! But speaking of, come on, you two. You need to use your AUCs. Now.”

“Yes, please. I can’t rest with those things still around,” Tuk said, in a hushed tone.

The ring tosser cast a wary glance at the Climber’s surrounding them, and Nar found himself doing the same.

“Are they even that good?” Kur whispered.

What he had probably meant to ask was whether or not the AUCs were worthy enough for Climbers to risk conflict, and the punishment of the System.

“You’ll see,” Gad said.

“Sit in the middle,” Tuk told them, pointing to where Viy was sleeping. “We’ll surround you.”

Nar and Kur did as he suggested, careful not to disturb Viy, and the party shifted to surround them as best as they could.

Mul too, cast a long look around them, before he pulled the last two remaining spheres from under him.

“Why are they there?” Kur asked, frowning.

“Shut up, and get it done,” Mul said.

Nar took the warm sphere from Mul and looked at it. The fact that it had gotten warm surprised him. He had expected the iridescent metal to remain cool to the touch.

He felt the AUC in his hands, absentmindedly marveling at its smoothness. It was hard to connect that perfect sphere to its origins.

“I said get it done,” Mul grunted. “Not make love to it!”

“Oh, sorry!”

He quickly took his sword from his inventory and laid it on the floor. He held the AUC with three fingers and hesitantly touched it to the weapon.

AUC detected: Minor Bead of Hunger.

Using this AUC will upgrade your weapon.

Your [Climber’s Longsword] will become [Climber’s Longsword of Hunger] (Rank 1).

Upgrade?

Yes / No

Warning: AUCs are single use only. Using one will consume it. Should you wish to change weapons later, you will not be able to retrieve and re-use this AUC.

I can worry about that later, Nar thought. Ranks too, whatever they were. Yes.

Both he and Kur yelped and jerked their hands back.

Mul chuckled. “Ooops. Should’ve told you.”

Nar and Kur, nursing their burnt fingers, threw him a dirty glare. But he was more interested in what was happening than Mul’s antics.

The sphere glowed, and melted onto his blade. A low sizzle escaped it, along with several pops, and Nar leaned back from the hot, stinking gas that escaped from it. Belaying its small size, the sphere melted into a bright, hot purple and red liquid that engulfed his weapon from blade tip to hilt bottom.

Nar leaned in, his eyes shining in the molten glow. Soft bubbles popped, and some crackling and hissing escaped the sword.

Next to his weapon, Kur’s scepter underwent the same procedure. Around them, the party tensed, ready for anything.

Eventually, the noises and heat died down, and they were plunged back into relative purple dimness.

“It’s done. You can touch them now,” Mul said.

Nar and Kur stared at him.

“Sheesh! It was just a bit of fun. I got burned too!” Mul said, throwing up his hands. “But it’s fine now. I swear!”

Pursing his lips, Nar reached for the sword and flicked the grip with a fingernail.

“Now that’s just hurtful,” Mul said.

Nar tapped the sword with his fingertip, then rested all five fingers on the smooth soft material. Finally, he closed his hands over the grip and lifted his sword.

Congratulations!

Your [Climber’s Longsword] has become [Climber’s Longsword of Hunger] (Rank 1).

Unable to hold back the sudden excitement, Nar called up his weapon stats tab.

Climber’s Longsword of Hunger

Uncommon

Rank 1

A simple longsword given to a Climber. It has a longer reach than a sword and offers better protection due to its slightly thicker blade. But it's slower in attack due to this.

This longsword has been upgraded with the minor power of Hunger.

Attributes

● DPS: 14-20

Scales with [Strength], [Agility] and [Speed].

● Damage block: 0-15%

Scales primarily with [Strength], and slightly from [Agility].

● Minor Hunger

0.5 to 1% of damage dealt will be absorbed by the wielder as HP, up to their maximum HP. Effect can only trigger once every 3 seconds.

“It's good, uh?” Mul asked.

Nar’s face said it all.

“Maybe this is my call to start hitting things,” Kur muttered.

“You should,” Mul said. “It would do you some good.”

“What in the pile is that supposed to mean?”

A low chortle resounded throughout the party.

Nar re-read the information in front of him.

The healing aspect the weapon had gained was phenomenal. As was the massive DPS boost. However, he couldn’t help but notice the sudden appearance of [Speed] and [Agility] amongst the weapons scaling. Where once it had been solely based on [Strength], his weapon too now seemed to be starting down the same unexpected path as Nar did.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

It was yet another sign that perhaps his original path was slipping through his fingers, morphing into something else entirely. And he still didn’t know what that was, or what it meant for him.

“How does it feel?” Tuk asked, oblivious to Nar’s thoughts.

With the AUCs used, the others relaxed and sat down. There wasn’t much point in stealing weapons one couldn’t use, and Climber’s had limited slots in their storage rings.

“Pretty much the same,” Kur said, putting away his weapon. “Did you all get the [Minor Hunger]? 0.5 to 1% HP regen?”

Nar also stored his weapon, as the others replied affirmatively.

“That’s good, then,” Kur said, after a sigh. “This will make things a little bit easier for us.”

Nar nodded at him and that's when his eyes fell upon Cen.

The caster sat, half-hidden, behind Tuk. In the dark, he couldn’t make her expression.

“Cen!”

The lengos startled.

“Oh! Hi… I-I’m happy that you’re okay,” she said. She averted her gaze, and squirmed, as though she was trying to hide even further behind Tuk.

“All thanks to you!” Nar said. “Two of those slurping things were about to kill us when your first attack landed. I’m pretty sure it killed everything around us.”

“Sorry, I needed to hit close enough,” Cen said. “Thank the Crystal I didn’t hit you, though.”

“Don’t be! You saved our lives! And all those projectiles…” Nar shook his head in amazement. “Just how much stamina do you have?”

“What?” Cen asked, her tone startled. “What are you talking about?”

Tuk burst out laughing. “He thinks you did all of that!”

“What? No! That wasn’t all me! I can’t do that! There were like a hundred of those projectiles!”

It was Nar’s turn to be confused. “What do you mean? I saw…”

“It was the others,” she said. “The other casters, I mean! Crystal! Sorry. I’m making a mess of it…”

“But… The other casters… Shouldn’t they…”

Cen looked away and the rest of the sentence died in Nar’s throat.

“The other casters used [Aura Projectile]s as well,” Gad said, in the silence that followed Nar’s words.

“All of them?” Nar asked, his voice small.

“That’s the other thing keeping everyone up,” Kur said. “That there is no magic.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” Tuk said. “Not a whisper. Not a shout.”

“No one has unlocked magic,” Gad said. “All the casters were like Cen. The barrage at the end was probably started by Cen’s [Aura Projectile]s. Better to use aura, than to be eaten alive.”

“Yes, and that was what turned the battle in the end,” Kur said, rubbing his chin. “We were losing. Badly. There were way too many of them. We were just trying to get you guys back, so we could decide on our next move… Instead, we got lucky. Cen inspired everyone to just let loose.”

Nar was too stunned to speak.

It was one thing to think that their party had just not been able to get magic. To be worthy of it yet, for some inexplicable reason. But for nobody else to have it either? And for every other caster to also be using [Aura]? That made no sense. It made no sense at all.

“What’s going on?” he whispered.

Kur sighed. “We don’t know. Nobody knows. If they do, no one’s telling.”

“But all of the casters? All of them?”

“There was a… Meeting.”

Nar stared at Cen.

“The casters got together,” she said.

“It got heated,” Mul added. “We could all hear it.”

“People were angry,” Cen said. “They accused each other of lying. Of hiding their magic. I had to show my [Aura Projectile]. Everyone had to. We went around in a circle… There was no way to hide if you had magic in you. Or at least, we assumed nobody can have both aura and aether.”

“Someone could have just not gone to that meeting,” Mul said.

“There were thirty-eight of us there. And what use is there in hiding magic from the rest of us? It's not like you can steal it out of someone,” Cen said.

“That can’t be right…” Nar whispered.

No one has it?

He just couldn’t believe it. But like Cen had just said, why would anyone hide it?

“Now that we’re all here, and since we are on the topic,” Kur said. “We need to talk about you, Cen.”

The caster looked down. “Yes...”

“This is not an easy talk, but…”

“Wait!” Mul said. “You can’t be serious!”

“No, you wait. Let me finish for fucks sake,” Kur said. “Like I said, this isn’t an easy talk… Obviously, I have no intention of kicking you out, Cen. Me and Nar talked about it on the way here, and we’ll fight to keep you on. But I need to know how the others feel about it. It’s only fair.”

“She’s staying!” Mul shouted. “What's there to even talk about?”

Cen sniffled. “Mul…”

“I haven’t forgiven you, Cen!” Mul shouted. “But I’m not leaving you behind either. You’re my sister! If you go, I’ll go too!”

Gad tutted.

“She isn’t going anywhere, Mul,” she said. “You think any of us are heartless enough to do that? Or that we actually want to do it?”

Mul looked up at her. “Then…”

Kur groaned.

“I… I lost my temper before,” he said. “At the end of the tutorial. And I regret it. I want all of us to Climb and get out of this together. No one in this party is under the threat of being kicked out. I want everyone to understand that.”

“Unless you do something really bad,” Gad said.

“Yes. But I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Kur said, looking around at the party. “We’ve been through a lot, and by now, I think we all have each other's measure. And it’s pretty damn good! I wouldn’t want anyone else in this party.”

Cen shook with big, silent sobs, and Tuk patted her head.

“You’re one of us. There’s no way we’re leaving you behind,” he told the caster.

Cen nodded, rubbing her eyes.

“That is not to say that you haven’t hurt our trust,” Kur said. “Or feelings. If we are to get out alive, all of us, together, then we need to be able to rely and trust in each other.”

“I swear, I’m not hiding anything else!” Cen cried. “That [Aura Projectile] is my only skill!”

“If you say so, I trust you. I’m willing to trust you again,” Kur said. “With my life, do you understand?”

Cen sobbed openly now, and she nodded furiously.

“We’re all people, and we all make mistakes,” Tuk said. “All is good. Right?”

“Yeah. I think so.” Kur said.

And around the party, surrounding Viy’s sleeping form, the sentiment was shared.

“Besides, you’re the most powerful here, Cen!” Tuk said. “We can’t risk angering you!”

Cen laughed through the tears. “Oh! Stop it! As if I ever would! And also, I promise to use my [Aura] to keep us all safe from now on!”

Nar glanced at Kur, and the party leader caught the meaning in his eyes.

“Erhm… About that,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, that is great. I won’t lie. But you don’t have to do it, Cen. In fact, I want it to be very clear that I’m not demanding you to use your [Aura] as a condition for you to stay in the party. As Nar correctly reminded me on the way here, we all need to be worried about what's going to happen after we get out. And I want you all to know that I’m not abandoning you. If something happens during our Climb, be it [Aura] or anything else that will impact your futures, I’m going to be there for you. After. You hear?”

He looked each and every one of them in the eye.

“I am, and will always be, here for you,” Kur said. “So, Cen. You don’t have to use your [Aura]. Not unless someone is going to die or lose an arm. In that case, I’d really appreciate it. That’s all I ask.”

“Thank you,” Cen said, and turned to Nar. “Thank you. I promise I won’t let anyone die. I swear it on the Crystal!”

Nar smiled down at her.

“Welcome back,” he said. “I’m glad to have you covering my ass.”

She laughed at his dumb joke. They all did.

Mul stepped forward and hugged her. He whispered in her ear, and Cen cried and nodded, holding tightly onto him.

Nar knew that the siblings would be okay. Eventually.

DING!

Gains from the completion of the quest, The Defense of B0271-10456673, have been calculated!

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

You have gained:

Strength 13 -> 14

Stamina 15 -> 18

Agility 9 -> 12

Speed 8 -> 10

??? 8 -> 9

??? 14 -> 15

Instinct 12 -> 13

Reflex 11 -> 12

Gains threshold exceeded!

Attribute points will be applied during sleep!

What? No [Aura] this time?

Nar didn’t know what to make of it. What was the point now? He had already lost his first modifier. And why in the Nexus was he, for the first time ever, not gaining in [Aura]? In all the other level ups, he had made gains on the damn thing, so what was different now?

He took a deep breath.

He didn’t want to see the others' reactions to their gains. Nor to let them see his.

And once again, I’m being pushed in a different direction.

He pulled up his stats tab.

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Basic 9

Health Points: 119/160

Stamina: 16/180

Stats

● Strength: 14

● Constitution: 16

● Stamina: 18

● Agility: 12

● Speed: 10

● Aura*: 42

● ???: 9

● ???: 15

● Might: 4

● Endurance: 6

● Instinct: 13

● Reflex: 12

● Hearing: 7

● Sight: 7

[Quickening] will be even faster from now on.

The skill had already been amazing, and it had saved his life amongst the cannibals. However…

He sighed.

Kur had hinted that Nar was missing something, but in the weeks following their departure from the tutorial safe room, Nar hadn’t been able to figure it out. Perhaps it was time to go and ask the party leader. However, for some reason, Nar had a feeling Kur wouldn’t tell him anything, wanting Nar to figure it out.

He closed his stats tab with an angry blink.

A path that was slipping out of his control.

A massive amount of [Aura] that was, at the best, useless, and at the very worst, useful in some way that Nar didn’t yet know.

If it somehow turned out that he could use his [Aura], it would be another headache to deal with. It was already hard enough dealing with his mixed feelings for the others, imagine what it would feel like to hide [Aura] skills as well.

Around him, the others discussed their gains.

“I got 19 in [Strength]!” Mul said. “Behold, the Fists of Destruction!”

Nar rolled his eyes at his antics.

However, he couldn’t help but feel jealous of the brawler. In comparison, what was he? Better at running around?

He felt a tiny poke on his arm.

Ah… Damn it.

He pretended he hadn’t felt it.

Poke-poke.

He inhaled deeply and smiled at Jul.

She didn’t say anything. She just stared at him with those big eyes of hers.

What now?

“Are you ok?” he asked her, maybe a bit more aggressively than he had meant it.

“It will be okay,” she replied.

A knot formed in his stomach. Just like that, she had broken through. And Nar didn’t bother to question it anymore.

“Will it?”

That barrage of light was imprinted on his mind.

It had been beautiful.

It had been powerful beyond doubt and reason.

But it hadn’t been magic.

Thirty-eight casters. And not a single point of [Aether] in between them.

Like Cen had said, he doubted that anyone was hiding it. Why would they? He wouldn’t. Why should he? If he could cover his sword in flames and burn a dozen cannibals with every swing, he would have. He would’ve burned the whole place down, instead of playing “tire me out and eat me!” with the cannibals.

No.

Nobody had it. And that meant not just the casters, but all the other hundreds of Climbers gathered there now. Not one of them had magic.

Where was it?

What did he have to do to get it?

What did he have to sacrifice to earn it?

How much more did he have yet to suffer to pay for it?

Nar deflated, and closed his eyes.

Jul patted his shoulder. Once. Twice.

“It will be ok. You just wait.”

How do you know that? How? Tell me, please! Because none of this looks okay! Nar wanted to shout at her.

“You’ll see,” she said. “I promise.”

Her voice was full of certainty, and her stare was unwavering.

“I hope you’re right,” Nar whispered.

“Everyone!” Kur called, getting their attention. “We need to rest now, but there’s one last thing I wanted to talk about. And I want everyone to be honest with me, now.”

He looked around at the party, making sure everyone understood that he was not messing around.

“Who here cares about unlocking magic? And by that, I don’t mean for anything vague like we need magic to survive up there. Like Mul said, things have changed, and we’ve learned just how much the workers back home have forgotten or just straight up made up,” Kur said. “So, no, I don’t care about some vague warning about not being able to live outside without magic. What I want to hear from all of you, is something much more solid and real. What I want to know is who among us wants to continue to fight, onwards into the Labyrinth or wherever, and therefore needs magic for their paths, and who among us will put down their weapons as soon as we get out.”

Nar stared at Kur in surprise. He hadn’t expected the leader to drag it out into the open like that.

Cen raised her hand. “I still want it. I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine. No need to be,” Kur said. “We all Climb for our own reasons and dreams. We’re not here to judge anyone for their goals. Anyone else?”

“I would like to have it too,” Tuk said, grinning. “Me and my rings are going to go everywhere, and see everything there is to see.”

Nar couldn’t help a small smile. Somehow, he had expected nothing else from Tuk.

“I am a tank, and I’ll always be one,” Gad said.

“And I will follow Cen wherever she goes,” Mul said, smiling at his sister.

“Oh, Mul…” she murmured, her eyes glistening.

“I-I don’t know if scouts get magic!” Jul shouted. “But if they do, I-I-I want it too!”

Kur chuckled. “That’s fair. I’ll ask Viy when she wakes up. And as for me, yes, I want magic as well. I left the cubeplant to be a party leader, and so far, I have found no reason to quit being one.”

And at last, all eyes turned to Nar.

“I-I need it,” Nar said, under their combined stare.

“I know,” Kur said. “We all do. There was never any doubt that you wanted to be a fighter.”

Nar nodded.

“Alright, that settles it then. We all want magic and we all want to build our paths for our futures. I will keep that in mind from now on, and do my best to make sure you guys can build the best paths possible. However, Cen…”

“It’s okay,” she said. “Between my path and your lives, there is no question. I just wish I had realized it sooner. I’m sorry, everyone, I swear on the Crystal that I won’t hold back my [Aura] if it is to save you.”

“Thank you,” Kur said. “That’s all I can ask for. If it does end up affecting your path, know that whatever happens, I will always be there for you. My whole life if I have too. I will never forget this debt to you.”

“Me neither,” Nar said, and he knew he spoke true.

“Thank you, Cen, I’ll never forget this,” Gad said. “And I won’t leave you either.”

“Me neither!” Tuk said.

“And I’m your brother,” Mul said, and left it at that.

Cen bit her lip, trying and failing to hold back the tears.

“Thank you, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

She burst into tears again, and Mul hugged her.

Nar couldn’t help a bigger, proper smile from brightening his expression, as the others consoled the caster.

Should he have mentioned that he too, had amassed an enormous amount of [Aura]? And that he had actually lost his first modifier to it?

In the end, he chose to remain silent.

It wasn’t as though he could use his [Aura]. It was useless.

No, for now, there was no reason to speak of it.

However, what would he do if it turned out there really was a use for the disgusting thing inside him?

He sighed.

He didn’t know.

All he could do was hope that he didn’t gain any more of it.

He wasn’t stupid enough to keep blindly believing that the Crystal would remove the attribute from him, either. No, he had to face reality. Something had happened, and he had lost his first modifier. But he couldn’t continue to whine about it, or feel sorry for himself. There was only so much self-pity he could tolerate.

No, the first modifier was gone, and he wasn’t about to keep begging or praying anymore either. And whether [Aura] would turn into something else, or not, down the line, he would find out. And deal with it when the time came. If the time came…

For now, he would focus on what he could actually do. On what he had set out to do from the very start.

Deal damage and tank damage.

That was all he could do.

That was all that mattered.